CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — #13 Eastern Arizona College struggled to find offensive consistency Wednesday, falling to Northeastern Junior College 25–16, 25–16, 21–25, 25–14 in the opening round of the NJCAA tournament at the Dunn Center.
Eastern Arizona (24–7) hit just .037 for the match and posted negative or near-even percentages in all four sets, unable to overcome Northeastern’s serving pressure and balanced attack. The Gila Monsters’ best stretch came in the third set, when they capitalized on 11 Northeastern attack errors to pull out a 25–21 win and briefly extend the match.
Addison Hinckley led EAC with 10 kills on 40 swings. Elisa Saunders added seven kills, while Cale Torgerson chipped in six. Libero Kambria Maloy provided a spark from the service line with three aces and tied for the team lead with 12 digs. Eastern finished with eight aces but also seven service errors.
Northeastern (32–3) hit .194 for the match and put up three dominant sets, including a .379 mark in the fourth to close out the victory. The Plainswomen were led by Samantha Mosley, who finished with 16 kills on .343 hitting, and Kaitlyn Barnes, who recorded 13 kills and four aces. Setter Stella Carrer paced the offense with 38 assists and added two aces of her own.
Eastern Arizona was out-blocked 10–2 and out-dug 69–55, with Northeastern controlling first contact for most of the afternoon.
The Gila Monsters move into the consolation bracket, where they will face No. 5 Barton Community College at noon MST on Thursday. Barton is coming off a straight-set loss to No. 12 Snow College in its first-round match.
